Women and children in prison are particularly vulnerable and therefore need specific protection. Admittedly, women are generally less likely than men to be deprived of their freedom on account of a conflict but, when they are, their conditions of detention are sometimes worse than those of other prisoners.

The accommodation provided for women may be too cramped if only one detention centre is set aside for them. The fact that prisons often have no female staff may have serious consequences, including certain forms of harassment by guards. During its visits, the ICRC pays special attention to the situation of women prisoners, who are moreover usually visited by female delegates. When they are political prisoners, the ICRC bases its approach on the very specific rules laid down in the Geneva Conventions on the special treatment of prisoners of war and civilian internees, which stipulate that:

• women must be especially protected against any attack on their honour;
• women must be held in separate premises, accommodation and sleeping quarters, under the immediate supervision of women;
• separate sanitary conveniences must be provided for women;
• the authorities must take account of the sex of prisoners when assigning work to them;
• account must be taken of the prisoner's sex when disciplinary penalties are applied;
• female prisoners may be searched only by female guards;
• expectant mothers and mothers with dependent infants must be given additional food and a regular medical examination. For childbirth they must be admitted to a qualified establishment and receive care there equal to that provided for the general population.
  

If necessary, the ICRC may invoke rules other than those of international humanitarian law, for instance the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners or the ethical code of the World Medical Association.

In some circumstances children may remain with their mother throughout her sentence. In others, the ICRC recommends the authorities to release such children on humanitarian grounds, provided their family can receive them.

Children are imprisoned too, either for criminal law offences or because they have been caught up in the turmoil of events, or even because they have been enrolled as combatants. For them, the loss of freedom may be very hard to bear and have lasting effects on their development. The ICRC insists on the psychological and emotional equilibrium, development and education of young prisoners being maintained as far as possible, and urges the detaining authorities to see that the following requirements are met:

• the questioning of children and all other necessary procedures must take place without delay;
• Children in captivity must always be kept in quarters separate from adult quarters, unless housed with their families;
• if they are not released and their detention is extended, children must be transferred as soon as possible to a specialized establishment for minors;
• Children must receive food, hygiene and medical care suited to their age and general condition;
• as far as possible, child prisoners must spend much of the day outdoors;
• Children must be able to continue their schooling;
• Children must be able to keep in regular contact with their families.
  

The ICRC cooperates in the field with other inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations such as UNICEF and the Save the Children Fund.